This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
This comes after e-waste watchers revealed that 75 million iPhones could be rendered obsolete – tipping the scales at around 1.2 million kilograms of e-waste – following the release of iOS 26.
Not strictly true because the phones they counted here will still get security updates for 2-3 years AFAIK. 7 year old phones, mind you. But yeah, no more feature updates. Which are so meaningless these days anyway.
The security updates for old iOS versions are a sleight of hand. Most companies only support the three latest versions of iOS, so soon that will be iOS 17 as the minimum. I had a device stuck on iOS 15, which was released in 2016, and banks and other major apps dropped support. So while the phone did get security updates, it can’t run the apps I needed.
That's the app devs being idiots.
My two local banks that I use support 15.1 and 16. My two globally useful neobanks support 13 and 16. None of them have any features that the one on 13 doesn't have (in fact, that gets the most updates and has the most features of them all).
So iOS 16, which most apps still seem to support, at least ones that I use, supports devices as far back as the 6s, which came out in 2015. It also still gets security updates for now.
I just don't get why Apple gets the most shit for generating e-waste on their phones when they actually have the longest lasting phones (barring tech enthusiasts flashing custom ROMs to old Androids, which is what, 1% of the population?)
What Apple REALLY should be getting shit for is software support for their Macbooks, particularly considering that with the Apple Silicon ones, the Linux drivers are still iffy for most things. They need to figure out a way to offer at LEAST 10 years, ideally 15 years of security updates for any device sold, since these devices are only meant to be used with their software, and one expects a computer to last longer than a smartphone, or at least how that's how it was a few years ago still, when smartphones were still somewhat getting better year over year.
I think Apple is responsible by releasing new APIs that are only available on the specific iOS version. Rarely have they back ported functionality to older iOS versions. Apple draggles shinny new APIs in front of developers causing them to update the minimum version.
Yeah Apple rapidly dropping support with Intel Macs is really terrible. I have a 2018 Mac mini that is already obsolete, what a joke. That was the last Mac I buy.
The shiny new APIs are rarely required for most apps tbh. Hence Revolut having a fully functional neobank app with minimum iOS version of 13 (meaning you could run it on a 10 year old device right now). Wise actually has less functionality theoretically, but it requires iOS 16. Neither one of them does anything special in the client anyway, probably could make the same apps on iOS 10 APIs and not notice a difference, but nobody uses that anymore anyway.
I understand games, VR apps (lol vision pro) and such requiring the shiniest new APIs.. Hell, even things like video players, etc - maybe Apple added some fancy new video codecs, etc. But basic business apps have no real reason to switch to the newest target version every year or 2.
Nothing says ‘circular economy’ like Microsoft stranding 400 million PCs
This might be a silly question but would this not be a good idea for a start up company that recycle computer parts?
If the EU is going to pay for the developers, sure. I’d even go higher and say make it 50 years. Otherwise make your own OS or use Linux.
Of course. Make another regulation only big corps can follow. To punish them, of course. This is punishment.
Good.
If we're going to pretend corporations are people, then we should treat them like slaves.
That was sarcasm. Making a regulation to punish a big corporation that automatically disqualifies everyone smaller is not punishment for it.
No. Maintain your own OS. Any country or group of countries should be doing so.
What would that mean for Linux distros? It seems like it could be a law that cuts off the competition. Like amazon who is very selectively for better working conditions when the know that no competitior can fulfull them.
Would Linux even count since it’s foss?
If implemented this should only apply to paid OS's or ones where a licence comes with the hardware
No license is needed for Linux
I think it does in some cases, like if you buy a System 76 computer with PopOS, or you buy a server with Red Hat.
However if you install a Linux OS yourself, that is available free of charge, there isn't any money to claim back, and it would be illogical if there should be demands on updates.
I think logically there needs to be money involved, so if you download PopOS you're on your own, but if you bought a computer with PopOS installed it is part of a package.
I'm not a lawyer, but from my experience this is how things typically work.
Edit PS:
If it's FOSS or FLOSS there also technically isn't any owner, so there is no legal person to make a claim against.
I think it would need to be a commercial product like Red Hat or preinstalled OS by the company that sell the computer.
With a FOSS distribution that is made freely available without charge, that people download and install themselves, people are probably themselves responsible for their choice of OS.
